Are You Suffering from Technophobia?

What exactly is Technophobia? Well it simple means a fear of technology, which would include the use of computers and other electronic devises. Some blame technology for many of their anxieties of life. An article in The Canberra Times, based on an Associated Press release, read: “Executives Afraid of Computers.” In many companies it seems that computers are what make them so successful. But you will be shocked at how many executives are afraid to do anything on a computer. Many people still choose to do things the old fashioned way. Technophobia is fueled by some of the major disasters, such as those that have affected airports, that causes them to be shut down for several hours at a time. In a book by a Dr. Frederick Cohen he asked several thought provoking questions, such as: “Have you been to the bank lately? If the computers weren’tt working, could you get any money from them? How about the supermarket? Would they be able to check you out without their checkout computers?” There are many people who just can not seem to function in today’s society, due to the fact that some many things are not operated by computers.

There is no doubt however that technology will continue to develop and get even more sophisticated. Even though many of them, do come with instruction manuals, if you do not understand computer technology then it is still not going to make any sense to you. Information theorist Paul Kaufman sums up the situation this way: “Our society has an image of information which, although alluring, is ultimately counter productive. One reason is that too much attention has been focused on computers and hardware and too little on the people who actually have to use them to retrieve information.The problem is not that we think so highly of computers but that we’ve come to think rather less of humans.” It does seem that preoccupation with the glory of producing stunning new technology has often left people worrying about what next. Edward Mendelson says: “Technological visionaries can never recognize the distinction between the feasible and the desirable. If a machine can be made to perform some dazzlingly complicated task, then the visionary assumes that the task is worth performing.”

There is also the fact that people do not trust one another any more. We currently live in a society of dishonest people. Your information is a lot safer on a computer than it is with a person. Although many criminals have now discovered various ways to acces access your information, more and more security measures are being taken to ensure your protection. Of course there are no guarantees. Many companies feels that their productivity will be improved by using a computer, so you can count on them using them. If you do suffer from Technophobia, then you will no doubt find it more and more difficult to find employment, or to keep the job that you currently have. If you suffer from this problem the best thing you can do is to learn to get over your fear of technology. The best way to go about doing this is by taking some computer classes that will help you to become familiar with a computer and the termonterminology to operate them. Once you become more comfortable you will see that it is not so bad. Even though you still might not like the idea, you will learn to adapt.